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Post by tomac on Jan 20, 2006 9:31:18 GMT 10
I wrote a chunk of stuff for a 1st time wheelbuilder and it was a lot of words so I thought I should copy and paste it for everyone else. Enjoy.
- Joel
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Post by tomac on Jan 20, 2006 9:34:13 GMT 10
if you follow a few simple rules there's not much damage you can do. Damage will be done by: overtensioning spokes - damaging nipples, potentially damaging the nipple seat of the rim or pulling huge holes in the rim undertensioning the spokes and then riding the wheel - there won't be anything holding the rim in place so it will bend and wobble all over the place - bends in alloy rims are more or less permanent. very uneven tension in the spokes and then riding the wheel - similar to above, the wheel will pull out of true. Sheldon Brown has a good wheelbuilding tutorial somewhere, also Mike T does a very good one: www.execulink.com/~dtierney/wmc/faq.htm#WTQ1I recommend using DT competition 14/15/14 gauge (2.0/1.8/2.0mm) spokes for rear wheels as they have a very good life and are pretty good to build with. However, as with all butted spokes, the competitions tend to twist or "wind up" which is when the thinner centre of the spoke twists rather than staying still and allowing the nipple to tighten. DT champion (straight gauge 14 or 2.0mm) spokes are fractionally heavier than competitions, are slightly more likely to break at the elbow (but I've never broken one), cheaper but DON'T wind up so may be your best choice for a first wheel. Spoke wind up is very difficult to deal with without experience and you're likely to get very variable tension if you don't know how to relieve it. as well as the tutorial tips above my tips are to make sure 1. both the nipple thread AND the nipple seat where it contacts the rim are lubricated - do this step first (I generally dip a spoke tip in grease and go through all 32 nipples putting a bit of grease in the hole and a bit on the seat, putting the time in here will make the process go much more smoothly and save you time in truing) 2. all spokes are tensioned evenly - that is you turn each nipple the same number of times (on each side that is, tension and spoke length will be different on the drive side). When lacing up the wheel, turn each nipple onto each spoke so that just a tiny bit of spoke thread is visible beyond the spoke (DT spokes and nipples are consistent enough for this to be very accurate) and make sure it's the same amount for each nipple ! Then when tensioning go around tensioning each spoke in half turns of the nipple. Note where the spoke key sits when you put it on the nipple and turn it around 180 degrees from that spot. Make a rule for yourself so that you don't lose your place. I always start at the valve hole when doing a revolution, so I know where to stop, I have the fingers of my left hand holding the spoke and the right hand has the spoke key. If I drop the spoke key or get distracted, I don't let go of the spoke, losing your place when tensioning is a very bad thing. 3. When you're lacing the wheel, lace the spokes by looking at a professionally built wheel and copying it, noting that the valve hole is in a clear spot with no spoke crosses and that the leading spokes, or pulling spokes, which point anti-clockwise from the hub on the drive side and take the drive tension when accelerating, are laced with the elbows pointing in, and the bulk of the spoke on the outside of the hub flange. Repeat for the other side, especially with disk wheels. Many factory built wheels will follow the valve rule but not the heads out/leading rule. Follow that one for reasons of physics. oh dear. la. - Joel |
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